


Track 10

by misslantsov



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Album: 1989 (Taylor Swift), Alternate Universe - High School, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Best Friends, Break Up, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Mentions of Taylor Swift, Mutual Pining, Road Trips, Song: How You Get the Girl (Taylor Swift), one bed trope, references to masturbation, trindel are just two swifties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:09:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28568247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misslantsov/pseuds/misslantsov
Summary: Mendel and Trina take a roadtrip to see Taylor Swift on her 1989 tour and their relationship takes a few turns.Named after How You Get The Girl from Taylor Swift's 1989 album.
Relationships: Trina/Mendel Weisenbachfeld
Kudos: 10





	1. I Would Wait For Ever and Ever

Trina raced up to Marvin in the school hall. “I got them!” she exclaimed; her smile bright on her face.

Marvin furrowed his brow and looked down at his girlfriend. “Got what?” he asked, quite literally unsure of what she was talking about. He rarely had a clue what she was talking about, so this wasn’t new for him.

Trina laughed softly. “The tickets to the Taylor Swift concert? I got two tickets for us, aren’t you excited?” she asked.

Marvin let out a long exhale. How could he tell her once again that he was not a Taylor Swift fan? Should he just admit this time that he really didn’t like her and wished that she would stop shoving the blonde’s music down his throat in his car? Was that mean to do to one’s girlfriend?

He had tried to understand the appeal of Taylor Swift and he just couldn’t. More than that, he really didn’t like concerts in the first place. You could barely hear the person performing over the sounds of teenagers and twenty-somethings screaming their throats raw. No thank you! But Taylor Swift was a different breed altogether. He just didn’t understand what her songs were supposed to be about. It wasn’t that she was bad, he just did not like her, and he certainly did not want to spend an entire night next to Trina pretending to have a good time while she screamed about how much she loved she artist that was on stage.

“Look, Trina, baby, I don’t want to go. I don’t like Taylor Swift,” he said, wincing as he said it. Trina’s attachment to the artist was low-key disturbing and he was terrified of getting hit with the binder that his girlfriend was carrying in her arms.

“Marvin, you don’t really think that, right? She’s incredible, the greatest artist of our generation. Besides, you have to come. You’re my boyfriend and I’m going to be too worn out to drive the four hours back from the concert at the end,” she replied.

Marvin blinked. “No, I am not going. Sorry Trina. Next time you should ask me if I want to go before you buy me a ticket. How much did it cost you? Also, four hours? Where the fuck did you get tickets for?”

Trina shrugged. “The nearest place I could get them for was Pittsburgh in June,” she replied.

“Trina, no. there are closer places. That’s not a four-hour drive, that’s five and a half hours, Trina. Good luck finding someone to buy that ticket off of you. How much was it?”

Trina rolled her eyes. “Marv, each ticket was only like just over $250,” she replied, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

“Fuck, and then you add gas to that, Trina. It’s a long trip. That girl is not worth it,” he replied.

Trina turned away from him and walked off to her locker, pulling it open and smiling at the small locker poster of Taylor that Mendel had gotten for her. “He doesn’t mean it, Taylor. You’re worth it,” she said, shaking her head and getting her stuff for class. Mendel was already going with her, but he was getting his own ticket. That was what they had agreed on.

She went off to class, checking her phone as she walked. Mendel hadn’t texted her to confirm that he had gotten his ticket, which was weird. She had expected him to be as hyped as she was. She walked into their homeroom and sat down next to Mendel at the table they always shared.

Mendel’s head was on the desk laying on his folded arms.

Trina reached up and started playing with his hair until he looked up at her. “Hey, did you forget to confirm that you got the ticket?” she asked, smiling at him. “Also, apparently, Pittsburgh is five and a half hours away and not four hours, so oops.”

Mendel frowned. “They were sold out by the time I got in Trina, I’m so sorry. I wanted to go with you and see Taylor, but I can’t. And now Marvin, who has a vendetta against our queen gets to see her and I don’t.”

Trina deflated for a moment until it struck her. “Mendel, Marvin said he wasn’t coming. He doesn’t want to, so I have a spare ticket, and it’s yours if you want it?” she offered. She couldn’t let her best friend be held back from Taylor Swift. Hell, now she thought that if Marvin changed his mind, or had agreed to come in the first place, she would have thrown him over for Mendel. At least Mendel would appreciate the gesture of the ticket and not sulk the whole night, spoiling the fun.

Mendel looked at her and blinked a few times before his smile came to his face and he moved to wrap her in a hug. “Oh my God, road trip for Taylor Swift,” he said, pulling back and showing the tears that were now spilling down his face. “You’re not only my best friend, you’re also my saviour, Trina. I love you.”

Trina flushed at that comment and shook her head. “I think I would rather go with you anyway. You like Taylor Swift and Marvin doesn’t. I don’t know how, she’s the greatest artist of our generation, but some people have no taste,” she said with a small sigh.

Mendel laughed softly. “Totally. What do I owe you for the ticket?” he asked.

Trina tilted her head. “Well, we’re not really going to want to drive back at like midnight right? That could be pretty dangerous, so what if we got a hotel room for the night either in Pittsburgh or nearby?” she suggested, her face heating up. “If you want, you could get the hotel and that would be enough of paying me back?”

Mendel froze for a moment. “Like each get a room?” he asked.

Trina shook her head. “No, most hotel rooms have two beds, so we’ll get one of those. It’ll be cheaper and probably safer,” she said.

Mendel nodded slowly. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to sleep in the same room as Trina. He had a huge crush on her, and sometimes he knew that he talked in his sleep. What if he said something embarrassing and she heard it? She was dating Marvin, and she would be uncomfortable with her best friend wanting her. Marvin not liking Taylor Swift was not a good enough reason for her to dump him, and Mendel couldn’t ask his best friend to leave her boyfriend, especially not so he could be with her. It could backfire and ruin their friendship or work and ruin their friendship. Getting to be her best friend had to be enough for him. Marvin didn’t know how lucky he was to call Trina his.

Trina smiled. “It’ll be okay. If you wanted, we could go up on the Friday and stay two nights in Pittsburgh?” she suggested. “I’m sure we can find a hotel with a good value, cause prices might spike with Taylor in town and people coming to see her.”

Mendel nodded. “Yeah, that sounds… great. Cause then I won’t be too tired from the drive for the concert. Good thinking, Trina,” he said. This just kept getting worse. Trina wanting to spend basically a whole weekend with him alone? That was too much for his poor heart to handle. Not to mention, _1989_ was an incredibly romantic album, and he didn’t know how he could deal with the emotion that he would feel with her.

But it was November now, and the concert was in June. There was a lot that could happen in seven months. Maybe Marvin and Trina would break up. Who knew? But for now, his focus was going to be on just being happy that he could actually go to the concert.


	2. Say It's Been a Long Six Months

Trina came bolting down the hall, almost smacking right into Mendel. “Let’s go! It’s time to get on the road!” she exclaimed.

Mendel threw his whole schoolbag into his locker, taking his laptop case and charger out. “You got everything you need?”

Trina held up her laptop and charger and nodded. “Let’s go! Everything else is in the car, we’re fine,” she said, taking his hand and leading him out of the school.

The two put their laptops in the back of the car and climbed in the front. “Ready for a five and a half hour, depending on traffic and how long we stop for dinner, road trip to see our queen?” he asked, starting the car and pulling his seatbelt on.

Trina nodded excitedly, plugging her phone into the aux cable. “I can’t wait until tomorrow!” she said, the excitement almost making her want to cry.

Mendel smiled as he pulled out of the school parking lot. “Okay, so it’s just past 3 now, I say we stop around 6 to get dinner, we’ll decide what we want closer to the time, if that works for you?” he asked.

Trina nodded and hit play on her Taylor Swift playlist, turning up the music louder, but keeping it low enough that Mendel could still focus on the road.

Mendel drove towards the I-78 pulling onto the highway easily. He was an incredibly cautious driver, more so when he had Trina in the car, but he was confident on the road.

The drive was easy going, the two of them singing along to Taylor Swift. The trip was long enough for them to listen to her debut, _Fearless_ , _Speak Now_ , and _Red_ in their entirety. They agreed they would play _1989_ in the hotel room. If Mendel could have his way, every road trip in his life would be like this. The girl of his dreams by his side singing along with him to their favourite artist.

When she started getting hungry, Trina paused the music. “So what do we want to do for dinner?” she asked.

Mendel shrugged. “Are you thinking anything in particular?”

Trina shook her head. “Something quick, but nutritious. We can always get a snack when we get to Pittsburgh,” she said.

Mendel tilted his head. “Do we want to split a footlong Subway sandwich?” he suggested.

Trina thought for a moment. “I suppose we could, could we get the veggie one with no meat though?” she asked.

Mendel nodded. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “Do you mind looking up the nearest Subway?”

Trina nodded, opening the maps app on her phone and getting to work. “Take the next exit, I’ll give you more directions as they become more relevant,” she said. She knew that giving him more than one direction at the time could trigger his anxiety and she didn’t want to do that to a friend in the first place, even less when he was driving the two of them.

Mendel glanced at her briefly and smiled. “Thanks Trina, you’re the best.”

A short time later they were entering the restaurant, discussing which veggies they planned to put on their sandwich. No sauce, Trina wasn’t a fan, and no lettuce, Mendel wasn’t a fan. Spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and light on the green peppers and red onions. The bread was the easiest part, their favourite was the same: Italian Herbs & Cheese. Trina put in the order for the sub while Mendel got their drink, a bottle of apple juice.

The two of them pulled out their cards at the same time. “You got the hotel and the gas, let me,” Trina insisted.

“You got the tickets and you’re the reason we’re going to the concert,” he replied, nudging her gently.

“Fine, you can get dinner, but I’m getting breakfast tomorrow,” she replied.

Mendel shook his head. “I already got breakfast. The hotel serves it,” he said.

“Fine, then I’ll be getting our late lunch tomorrow before the concert,” she replied, crossing her arms.

Mendel rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said, inserting his card into the machine and paying for the food.

The pair sat down at a table, not eager to potentially drop vegetables all over the car that they had cleaned the previous night, and ate their halves of the sandwich, taking turns sipping from the apple juice. When they left, Trina took Mendel’s hand and shifted close to him, putting her head on his shoulder.

Mendel turned his head with a smile on his face, hoping she didn’t notice how red he was turning. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey, thanks for dinner, you’re the best,” she said, reaching up to boop his nose with her finger.

“Nah, you’re literally the best, I’m just making sure that my favourite person stays alive,” he replied, longing to kiss her.

Trina shook her head. “Okay,” she replied, kissing his cheek. “Back into the car.”

They continued their drive, getting back on the I-76 out of Newville for the last stretch of their journey.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, the two of them were half-exhausted. “Here we are, finally,” Trina said, getting out of the car and opening up the rear door to retrieve her small suitcase, shoving her laptop and charger inside it before closing it again.

Mendel shook his head. “You wait in the car and I’ll go and check in. Once I have the key, I’ll come get you and our stuff, okay?”

Trina nodded, climbing back into the front seat, locking the car doors as she watched him walk inside. This was a bigass city and she wasn’t about to leave the car unlocked. She would unlock it when Mendel came back.

When Mendel returned to the car, he carried both his duffel bag and Trina’s suitcase, offering her his hand. “Let’s go and see our home for the next two nights and get some rest,” he said.

Trina took his hand, ignoring the way that her body warmed up at his touch. They were best friends. He didn’t like her, even if she harboured secret feelings for him. It didn’t matter, she was with Marvin. Nothing could happen between her and Mendel.

They went up to their room, opening the door and locking it behind them. They entered the main part of the room and Mendel dropped the suitcase. “Um, this isn’t- I didn’t- I asked for two, I promise,” he stammered, looking at the one and only bed in the room.

Trina swallowed. “The bed is pretty big, and I’m tired. I don’t really want to deal with seeing if we can get a new room. We’ll just stay on our sides tonight and tomorrow we can see if we can get the room that you booked,” she replied, patting his arm gently.

Mendel nodded. “If you want me to sleep on the floor or chair, I can do that,” he offered, not wanting to make his best friend feel uncomfortable with him.

Trina shook her head. “Mendel, how many times have we shared a bed? It’s fine. Also, I’m not letting you sleep on something that is going to make you sore for the concert tomorrow. Our feet, backs, and voices need to be ready to get destroyed for the Queen as we cheer like the best fans that we are,” she replied, opening up her suitcase and tossing things onto the bed until she found her pajamas.

Mendel nodded. “Oh, okay, if you’re sure,” he replied. They had shared a bed multiple times from when they were children and their parents couldn’t pry them apart from each other when they’d fallen asleep watching a movie.

Trina rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get into our pajamas, and then we can go to bed and be well rested for the Queen,” she said, picking up his duffel bag and shoving it into his arms on her way into the bathroom.

Mendel got changed quickly, pulling his t-shirt over his head just before Trina exited the bathroom, tying the end of her braid.

“Do you want to brush your teeth and such with me? It’ll save time if we’re in there at the same time,” she suggested, grabbing her toiletry kit.

Again, it wasn’t something weird for them, they’d been doing these things since they were children and so he nodded. He could push his feelings for her aside, right? It had been a few years since they’d shared a bed, their parents still allowed sleepovers, but with both of them only having a twin bed, it wasn’t ideal for two teenagers who were trying to sleep without being too close to one another. So they had air mattresses for each other’s basements which was where they would sleep.

Mendel grabbed his toiletries and followed her into the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and washed their faces before Mendel nearly poked himself in the eye trying to remove his contact lens. Trina nearly doubled over with laughter and he glared at her.

“Really, Trina?” he asked.

Trina shook her head. “You take them out every night. How do you still poke yourself in the eye?”

Mendel shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just bad at it,” he said, putting the lens into the solution and removing the other one before putting his glasses on.

Trina smiled at him. “I like it when you have your glasses on. They’re really cute.

Mendel flushed at that, shaking his head. “Trina, stop. That’s mean,” he replied, turning away from her.

Trina shook her head. “No, you look cute with your glasses on. The contacts take away from your personality, make you look like everyone else,” she said, jabbing him in the side with her finger.

Mendel sighed. “Fine, okay, on Monday, when we’re back at school, I will wear my glasses and then you can see everyone making fun of me,” he replied.

Trina shook her head. “I won’t make fun of you. I befriended you when you had your glasses on, remember? Besides, you never laughed at my braces, so why would I laugh about your glasses?” she asked.

Mendel shrugged, she was right. And her braces had been a nightmare. No girl wanted her Bat Mitzvah pictures to be of her in braces. She had _wanted_ pink and purple, but that wasn’t meant to be, and she had cried for days about it. Closed mouth smiles and for the few where you could see the braces, she refused to look at those pictures. And he thought his Bar Mitzvah had been a nightmare. “You’re right. Okay, if you like them, I’ll wear them.”

Trina clapped her hands before taking his and leading him back towards the bed. She sat down on the side of the bed that she had claimed and Mendel sat down on his side, the two of them going about plugging in their phones and getting settled for the night.

Before turning off the light on his side, Mendel looked over at Trina and smiled. “Goodnight, Trina,” he whispered.

Trina turned and smiled at her best friend. “Goodnight, Mendel,” she replied before turning back towards the window and hoping that she would fall asleep soon.

Mendel turned to face the wall and turned off the light, hoping that he wouldn’t make a fool of himself or make his best friend uncomfortable in the night.


	3. And Never Told Her Why

Mendel woke up to a small bit of sunlight on his face. He blinked slowly, the thought dawning on him that he should not have the sun on his face. He opened his eyes to brown hair in a braid, less than two inches from his face. Not only had he rolled over in his sleep, but he had moved straight to Trina and was now spooning his best friend.

He tried to take his arms back, feeling an uncomfortable amount of blood rush south at the knowledge of how close she was to him at that moment. He was unsuccessful at sneaking out of the situation, as Trina stirred as he tried to move back. Her head turned and she opened her eyes, seeing her best friend laying behind her.

Trina smiled and released his hand from her own before sitting up. “Good morning,” she whispered, stretching her arms above her head.

Mendel was captivated by every movement that she made and his eyes were happy to follow her. “Good morning,” he said, trying to look away from the shape of her body right in front of him. He’d never been good at looking away, and she usually just assumed it was because her hair was a mess, or that she had a zit, or that there was something else wrong with her, even though he knew that she was the most perfect woman he’d ever seen.

“Who’s going to shower first?” she asked, her eyes on him, subtly tracing over him, falling on the front of his pants that were no longer covered by the bedding. She swallowed and made a real effort not to turn bright red.

Mendel jumped out of the bed. “Dibs. You can put on the kettle to make tea before we go down for breakfast,” he replied, grabbing his clothes and slipping into the bathroom.

Trina chuckled and shook her head. She wasn’t upset with him, even though he probably felt really bad about it. She should put him out of his misery, but that would only draw more attention to it, right? She removed the hairtie from her braid and brushed it out, drawing it up into a messy bun. She had washed her hair the day before, she would wash it when she got home the next day. Hotel products were fine, but she would literally use up all the shampoo if she washed her hair, and that wouldn’t be good for Mendel.

She sat on the bed, checking her phone, rolling her eyes at most of the text messages she had received. The one from Marvin was concerning, just saying ‘when you get back, we need to talk’, nothing else. It had arrived just after 7am that morning. She shook her head. She wouldn’t worry about Marvin on the day of the Taylor Swift concert. He was probably just regretting not being the one to come with her. He always seemed so jealous when she and Mendel hung out, but it was his fault. Mendel would do everything with her, and if Marvin let her choose their activity, it was begrudgingly.

She answered her mother’s text asking if they had gotten settled in Pittsburgh comfortably. She swallowed and decided against telling her very religious mother that she had spent the night in the same bed as her best friend because of a mix up at the hotel. Her mother trusted that her daughter would be responsible, but there was still the issue of the fact that Trina was in a relationship and it might look like she was unfaithful to Marvin if people found out.

She wasn’t unfaithful, and even though sometimes she thought about what it would be like to kiss Mendel or, this would really make her mother faint, sleep with Mendel, she had never acted on those things.

The hardest part of all of this was that she knew what Mendel was doing in the shower. She would be lying if she said that the thought didn’t excite her. There was no shame in it, what he was doing was fine and healthy. She couldn’t take her mind off of it. Surely, he had to be thinking of someone, right? And yes, it would be wrong of her to listen through the door to see if she caught the girl’s name, but she wanted her best friend to be happy and then maybe they could go on double dates. Maybe Marvin could learn how to be a better, more loving boyfriend.

No, she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t spy on her best friend and do that to him. She was about to stand up when she heard him start to singing. That meant that she had missed her chance, right? Either way, he was singing Taylor Swift, as he should be, but the song choice confused her. _Wildest Dreams_ , really Mendel? She tried not to laugh as she pictured Mendel in a dress. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t look great, but she was currently picturing him in her favourite sundress, the one she was actually wearing to the concert.

She began singing along with her best friend, not noticing when the door opened and he came up behind her, standing over where she was laying on her stomach.

She heard him stop and she turned over and smiled up at him. His shirt was off and he was drying of his chest.

“Shower’s yours,” he said, hanging up the towel on the back of the chair at the small desk.

Trina jumped up and moved behind him, smacking his butt and laughing until he turned around, picked her up, and threw her onto the bed, following her onto it, his body beside hers. Trina started giggling in her best friend’s face and sticking her tongue out at him.

“Think that’s funny? That you’re cute. That’s not yours to touch,” he said, his voice low.

Trina nodded. “I think it’s hilarious and fun. And if I can’t smack your butt, who can?” she asked, tilting her head.

Mendel shook his head, tapping her nose. “No one can. I’m single, and so no one can smack my butt,” he replied. He didn’t really mind Trina smacking his butt, he knew it was all in good fun and not meant as anything more, but some people might think otherwise.

It killed him every single time someone thought that they were dating. He couldn’t bear it, because he knew that he would never have her. She was with Marvin, and he couldn’t see that changing. She didn’t deserve him, she was too good for Marvin. Hell, she was too good for him, but at least he would treat her right.

“Tell me which girl you like at school. I know you like a girl, I just don’t know which one,” she replied, looking up at him.

Mendel shook his head. “I- I can’t tell you. She’s really out of my league. She’s too beautiful for me, and she has a boyfriend,” he replied. He was being honest, just not giving her her own name.

Trina stuck her tongue out. “Boo. You’re probably the one out of her league, because you’re the best, and you’d definitely be better than her stupid boyfriend,” she said.

Mendel felt a stabbing in his heart. She was his everything and he couldn’t even tell her. He didn’t know who she would think he liked, but he had put her off the scent, he hoped. He knew that she didn’t really love herself, so telling her that the girl was too beautiful- it broke his heart that she wouldn’t realize it was her. He blamed Marvin for it, maybe if he told her that she was beautiful once in a while, she might believe it. He definitely was a stupid boyfriend.

“Alright, go take your shower, I’m getting hungry,” he said, pulling her up off the bed and guiding her to the bathroom, handing her her clothes before closing the door and going to sit on the bed and play with his phone.

He shook his head. He had acted inappropriately with his best friend. She wasn’t his to flirt with like that. She was dating Marvin. He had gotten too bold, touching himself in the shower with her in the next room. He told himself that he couldn’t help it, but that was a leak excuse. He had violated his best friend by holding her in her sleep and then getting off to the thought of holding her and loving her. He needed to stop this obsession. She wouldn’t trust him anymore

Mendel’s head shot up as he heard Trina’s voice call his name. “Yeah,” he called back.

“I forgot my bra, can you pass it to me?” she asked, her head poked out of the bathroom door.

Mendel turned bright red. “Uh, yeah, gimme a second, Trina,” he called back, opening her suitcase and picking up the strap of her bra with his thumb and index finger, not looking at it as he carried it to the bathroom, passing it to his best friend with his eyes looking as far away from her as possible.

Trina furrowed her brow but took the bra. “Thanks Mendel,” she said, closing the bathroom door again.

A few moments later, she emerged, pulling her hair out of the messy bun and grabbing her brush. “Thanks again, Mendel. Most guys would have run from grabbing a bra unless it was to take it off a girl. You’re the best,” she said, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

Mendel froze for only a split second before returning her hug. He rubbed her back gently. “No problem. You’d have grabbed my underwear for me if I forgot it out here, right?” he asked, a small laugh coming from his lips.

Trina pulled back and nodded. “Yeah, absolutely,” she replied with a smile before brushing out her hair, leaving it down.

“Breakfast?” Mendel asked, offering her his hand, shoving his wallet with the keycard into his pocket with the other.

Trina took his hand and nodded. “I didn’t make the tea. Sorry,” she said.

Mendel shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We can make some later,” he said, leading her out of the hotel room and towards the elevator.

When they were inside, Trina took a deep breath. “Hey, so it’s just one more night, and switching rooms would just be a hassle. Um, do we want to just stay in the room we’re in now?” she asked.

Mendel shrugged. “Yeah, I can sleep on the floor or the chair, like I offered to do last night, if you want,” he suggested, not wanting a repeat of what happened this morning, but simultaneously wanting it more than anything in the world.

Trina shook her head. “You’ll be in too much pain after the concert,” she replied, looking down at the floor of the elevator, not even looking up at him when they stepped off.

Trina stayed quiet until they were sat down with their breakfast. “Are you upset with me?” she asked, finally looking up at Mendel with tears in her eyes that threatened to fall at any moment.

Mendel shook his head and moved his chair beside hers, getting looks from some of the adults in the vicinity. “No, Trina, I could never be upset with you! Why would you think that?”

“You’ve been acting weird since I came out of the bathroom. Did I make you uncomfortable when I asked you to get my bra?” she whispered.

Mendel shook his head. “Trina, of course not. I was worried that everything I’ve been doing has made you uncomfortable. Waking you up with my-“ his voice dropped, “erection against your butt, throwing you on the bed and acting like I did. Trina, I behaved horribly, and I’m sorry.”

Trina shook her head. “Mendel, you can’t control what your body does when you’re asleep, besides that’s normal for guys to wake up with. I did some research cause there was that sleepover a couple years ago and you were, y’know, when you woke up. And throwing me on the bed and goofing off? I smacked your butt, if anyone was in the wrong there it was me,” she replied. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you, you’re my best friend. Are you mad at me?” he asked.

Trina shook her head again. “I could never be mad at you, Mendel. You’re my best friend.”

Mendel smiled and opened his arms to her, which she accepted eagerly. Everything was okay with them.


	4. Remind Her How It Used To Be

Back in their room, Mendel and Trina tidied up their stuff, making the bed together before going into the bathroom to brush their teeth before they got started on their homework. It was the only chance they would have before Monday, and with exams approaching, they couldn’t really afford to fall behind.

Trina pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth and spat into the sink. “Mendel, can I talk to you about something?” she asked, looking at her friend.

Mendel nodded. “Yeah, of course, you can always talk to me,” he said around his toothbrush.

“I think Marvin- I mean, we’re- Um, I don’t think that Marvin and I are doing so well right now,” she said, watching him in the mirror.

Mendel nodded. “Do you want to keep the one bed thing to us then? I don’t think it would help.”

Trina nodded. “Thanks. He’s been really distant and not communicating with me, and you know I tried, and then this morning I got a text from him telling me that he and I need to talk. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. What if he breaks up with me?”

Mendel’s eyebrows shot up and he pulled his toothbrush out of his mouth to spit. “Trina, he’d be an idiot to break up with you. You’re the prettiest girl in the school, you’re smart, you’re kind, and you put up with more of his shit in a week than anyone else would put up with in a year.”

Trina shrugged. “Thanks Mendel. You’re a great friend. I’m lucky to have you in my life,” she said, going back to brushing her teeth, thinking about how domestic this scene was. Something she had never pictured with her and Marvin, but somehow kept picturing with Mendel.

Mendel smiled and resumed brushing his teeth, knowing that his best friend had listened, but not really taking his words to heart, especially not the ones about how beautiful she was. He knew how she saw herself, and he didn’t like it. She wasn’t plain in the slightest. Every time he was reminded of how much she didn’t believe in her own beauty, he wanted to kick Marvin. Was it not up to him to show his girlfriend how beautiful she was? Part of him wanted Trina and Marvin to break up, it was a very large part, but he needed Trina to be the one to realize that she was too good for Marvin and leave his sorry ass.

They sat down together on the bed moments later, laptops open in their laps. They had a decent amount of classes together, and they didn’t have a lot of homework that weekend since their teachers wanted them to be studying for exams. The joke was on them, Trina and Mendel had been working on their joint exam notes since the beginning of the semester. Every week, they would get together and add to them with the previous weeks’ worth of notes and knowledge. Trina focused on the things that the teacher said in class that wasn’t on any posted material and, naturally, organizing their notes. Mendel focused on the things that were posted and drafted questions for the two of them to deep dive if they felt it was necessary. It hadn’t ever failed them before, and it wouldn’t fail them now. While all their classmates were stressed about exams, Mendel and Trina had it under control (their anxiety caused enough stress for them to let more bother them).

They worked for a couple hours before putting their computers aside and deciding that they should nap before getting ready for the concert. Trina slipped into the bathroom to change into her pajamas and pull her hair back, Mendel staying in the main room to do the same. When they were both ready, they climbed into the bed, Trina setting an alarm on her phone for an hour and a half before the two dozed off.

When they woke up, Trina was almost nose to nose with Mendel. They weren’t cuddling this time, but they had both turned to face one another in the middle of the bed.

“Hey,” Trina said, a smile growing on her face. “Nap well?”

Mendel nodded, not even asking her to turn off the alarm. He loved _Sparks Fly_ , how could he not? Taylor was a lyrical genius. “You nap well?”

Trina nodded, her smile growing as she let the alarm quietly play in the background. “I’m so excited for tonight,” she said.

Mendel nodded. “So am I. We’ve seen Taylor before, but this time is different. We’re on our own in a big city, we’re seeing her out of state. With _Red_ your dad had to drive us and wouldn’t let us listen to her in the car, cause ‘we would be hearing her sing it soon enough’. With _Speak Now_ , we got lost afterwards looking for my mom’s car and she was kind of mad that we didn’t get into the car until like almost an hour after the show ended, mad cause she was worried. With _Fearless_ , our moms came with us, remember? They didn’t understand at all how genius Taylor Swift was and is,” he said.

Trina nodded. “I can’t wait to get matching t-shirts, or hoodies, or both. We have t-shirts from all the other tours that we’ve been to, but because this one is special, I say we get hoodies as well,” she suggested.

“If I get the hoodies, you can get the t-shirts?” Mendel offered.

Trina looked at him. “Mendel, the hoodies will cost more,” she replied.

Mendel shrugged. “You paid more for my ticket than I did for this room for two nights,” he replied.

Trina shook her head. “Oh come on, you can’t know that. We’ll just buy our own shirt and hoodie,” she said, making it clear that it wasn’t a suggestion.

Mendel shrugged. “Okay, if that’s what you want. But they have to match, and we have to wear the t-shirts to school on Monday,” he replied.

Trina rolled her eyes. “Duh, how else are we going to flex that we saw Taylor?” she asked.

Mendel smiled and the two got off the bed and went to getting ready for the concert.


	5. Pictures In Frames

Mendel’s heart nearly stopped when Trina came out of the bathroom with her hair and makeup done with her sundress on. She was literally breathtaking and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t, and that nearly broke his heart.

Trina noticed him staring and she looked down at the floor. “Is something wrong?” she asked, her left arm crossing her body to grip her right nervously, her shoulders raising.

Mendel shook his head and let out a breath. “No, absolutely not, Trina. Y’know, you’re not supposed to outshine the star on stage, right? How are people supposed to keep their eyes on Taylor when you look like a goddess?” he asked.

Trina shook her head. “I don’t. I guess I look alright, but you know that this is about as good as it’s going to get with me. I can’t be pretty, not really. Beautiful is really out. I just want to look as nice as I can and have a good time, and I’m nervous cause everyone’s going to wonder why you’re with me tonight. You’re really handsome and I’m just a plain girl that you’re cursed to have as your best friend,” she replied, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

Mendel felt a stabbing in his heart, knowing that she truly felt that way about herself. He moved closer to her and offered her his arms. “Trina, none of that is true, darling, I swear. You are the most beautiful girl I know, and I’m not cursed to have you by my side. Everyone’s probably going to be wondering why you’re with this curly-haired dork tonight,” he replied, a small laugh coming from his lips.

Trina shook her head again. “Anyone says anything about you, and I’ll fight them, okay? Just like I used to do when we were younger,” she said, her eyes on his.

Mendel exhaled. “Trina, I only want to ask that you don’t get us kicked out of the concert or arrested afterwards because you bit someone for being mean to me. I promise to do the same and not shove people if they’re mean to you,” he said, tilting his head.

“I won’t bite, but I sure can bark,” she insisted.

“Saying that because Whizzer calls you his ‘favourite bitch’?” he asked.

Trina nodded. “Yeah, it’s kinda grown on me and it’s fine. He’s a bitch too,” she replied.

Mendel laughed and shook his head. “Alright, I want you to tell me how beautiful you feel and then we’ll head out,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Trina sighed. “Mendel, it’s fine. I don’t have to feel beautiful-“

“You do, because I want you feeling like what you are,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. He stood with half his body behind hers, his hands doing everything to not touch her. “Tell me three specific things you like about how you look in this moment.”

Trina took a deep breath. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this exercise with her, and while it sounded weird, it did work to a degree. She didn’t always feel good about herself, still being in recovery from her eating disorder and her mental health never being that great, but it helped. She knew that she was good on the inside, but she wanted nothing more than a beautiful exterior so that maybe Mendel would love her. Marvin never cared how she looked, not really. He would say things, but she could tell he didn’t mean them. And Mendel, he only paid as much attention as he did because he was her best friend, it wasn’t an attraction thing.

“My hair. I didn’t think this style would work, but it did,” she said, reaching up to play with the braided crown style that she had done before straightening her bangs and dropping her hand.

Mendel nodded. “I love the style. It suits you, and I’m glad it worked too. And, it didn’t take you as long as you thought it would.”

Trina tilted her head. “My dress. It’s my favourite sundress and this is the first time I’ve gotten to wear it this year. It’s a bit tighter than it was last year and the year before, but I think it looks better than when it was loose,” she said, glancing down. She always hated bringing up her weight with Mendel because it tended to worry him, but it was true this time. She liked the way it fit on her body, highlighting her subtle curves. She was beginning to feel like a real person again.

Mendel nodded again. “It always looks incredible on you because you never wear it without a smile. It suits you perfectly and I’m glad that you’re choosing to wear it to the concert as your first time wearing it this year.” He couldn’t be happier that she was getting to the point where she was liking that she was gaining the weight that she had lost back, rather than demonizing herself for eating at all.

Trina reached up to play with her earring, Mendel only just noticing now that it was one of the gifts he had given her for Hanukkah the previous year. It warmed his heart to know that she really did like them and had chosen to wear them on such a special night. He knew that it was a better gift than any of the ones Marvin had given her. Sorry, the one thing that he had given her for all eight nights. Admittedly, it was a good gift (a gift card for her favourite art supply store), but it had required minimal thought. The small ruby studs had taken him an age to find, but rubies were her favourite gem, and so to him it had seemed right. He knew he shouldn’t compare himself to Marvin, but he knew that he would be a much better boyfriend to Trina.

“One more thing, yeah?” Trina asked, shaking Mendel out of his thoughts. Mendel nodded, getting a smile out of Trina. “I know I don’t have them on right now, but I love how the shoes I chose for tonight are going to tie my outfit together and make my legs look incredible. Yes, my feet will hurt when the concert is over. Yes, I will take off my shoes in the car tomorrow on the way home. Yes, Monday it will hurt to walk and so I will be wearing flipflops to school. But I’m going to rock those silver heels tonight.”

Mendel’s eyes lit up. The heels in question added about two-and-a-half inches to her height, which would make her just under four inches taller than him that night. Mendel swallowed. “Those heels. Yes. You have my permission to not wear shoes on what will be extremely sore feet in the car tomorrow. When we stop, it’ll be for food that we can eat in the car so that you don’t need to get out, and- if you want, I could maybe give you a foot rub when we get back from the concert, or in the morning, or when we get home,” he offered. It wasn’t meant to be weird, he just wanted to take care of his best friend.

Trina rolled her eyes. “Yes, I will let you take care of me,” she said. “Now keep in mind, I might be weak and take them off during the concert. My purse has a mini first aid kit in it with bandaids and antiseptic cream and everything like that, so you might get to do the gross part in the car before we come back!” she exclaimed.

Mendel pretended to look bummed about it before laughing. “Hey, when have I ever tried to get out of helping you? You’ve always been there to help me. Time I fell down the stairs at school and you risked detention to check your texts and leave class to help me, that was big,” he said.

Trina shrugged. “I ended up not getting detention though, so bonus. Mostly because my dad stepped in and said I shouldn’t be punished for helping a friend who ended up having a broken leg.”

“We left the school and you drove me to the hospital!” he said with a laugh.

Trina shrugged. “Fuck school, my best friend had a broken leg. I could have gotten in real trouble for calling an ambulance, but I wasn’t saddling your family with a bill like that. Also, I knew the school nurse wouldn’t take it seriously, so it was a judgement call.”

Mendel wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, barely reaching. “Ready for our pre-leaving for the concert selfie? Make all those losers back home in Jersey feel sorry for themselves while they post jealous comments on our Instagram, but they’ll write them so they don’t seem jealous?”

Trina nodded and took out her phone. It may seem weird, but the two of them shared an Instagram. The reasoning behind it was that they would never do anything worth posting about without their best friend. Hell, they would only post a picture of a snowfall or a sunset if both of them had been there to enjoy it. Every time they’d gone to see Taylor Swift, they had posted their pre-concert selfie on the page and all the pictures they took at the event.

They took a handful of selfies. Serious, goofy, and just downright awful before taking the one that they would post. It was fun and light-hearted, and some might say slightly flirtatious on both their parts. Mendel had his arm around Trina’s waist and the two of them were looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

Marvin would freak when he saw it, but neither of them cared. He didn’t even follow their Instagram account, and he kept telling Trina that she should just get her own.

Mendel grabbed his wallet and held it out to Trina who shoved it into her purse before they pulled their shoes on, checking that they had everything they needed. Trina’s purse held their tickets (which they double, triple, and quadruple checked), body spray, their wallets, the room key, Trina’s lipstick, a hand mirror, bandaids, and extra bobby pins for her hair if she needed them. The two left the hotel room and headed to the elevator, riding down in giddy silence. They couldn’t be more excited than they were. It was literally impossible.

Mendel took her hand and took the car keys out of his pocket, unlocking the car before opening the door for her. Trina shook her head at him, though she was smiling, and climbed into the vehicle. Mendel went around the car and got in, switching his glasses for his sunglasses, Trina pulling hers on.

“What would you like to get before the concert?” he asked, turning his head to look at Trina.

Trina thought for a moment. “I think something light, and then we can get more food after before returning to the hotel,” she suggested.

“What if we ordered pizza to the hotel?” he asked.

Trina nodded. “Good idea. What now though?” she asked.

“We could get coffee and a sandwich at Starbucks or something?” he suggested. “The coffee would keep us awake and the sandwich won’t be too heavy.”

Trina thought for a moment before nodding. “Okay, that sounds fine with me. But maybe a sandwich and a pastry? We’re getting to the concert early, so we’ll have time to kill before going in, so we could use the pastry then,” she suggested.

Mendel nodded. “Good idea. There’s a Starbucks just down the street. Let’s go,” he said, starting the car and pulling out of the hotel lot, going in the direction of the Starbucks they had passed on the way into the hotel.”

Ten minutes later, the two of them sat in the café, Mendel drinking a peppermint mocha with his grilled cheese, and Trina drinking a chai latte with hers. Mendel had scanned his Starbucks card before she had even pulled up the app, so she was now insisting that he let her pay for the pizza.

Mendel sighed. “Fine, you can pay for the pizza later. On one condition. You get us apple juice with it,” he said.

Trina furrowed her brow. “Of course we’re getting apple juice, we drink very little else,” she replied.

Mendel laughed. “That is true,” he replied.

Before leaving the café, Trina went and got them each a cookie and croissant and a steamed apple juice, handing Mendel his items as they got into the car. “There you go. Now, onto the concert,” she replied, putting her hand up for a high-five. Mendel was one of the only people she would high-five, and he took advantage of every single offer he was presented with. Mendel gave her a crisp high-five before taking her phone to punch in the directions to Heinz Field.

As they drove there, the two of them blasted _1989_ with the windows rolled down, their voices loud as they sang along. When they pulled in to park at the stadium, they each let out a long breath. They were finally here.

They got out of the car, locking it up before getting into the line. They ate their snacks from Starbucks as they looked at the merch for the tour. Picking out a t-shirt and a hoodie was easy for them, and they went to stash their purchases in the car so they didn’t lose them before getting in line.

By the time they went in, the two of them were barely able to contain their joy. When Taylor came on, starting with _Welcome to New York_ , the two of them looked at one another with tears in their eyes. Mendel wrapped his arms around Trina’s waist and hugged her tightly. He still felt like he owed her for bringing him here, something he would never be able to repay her for in all his life.

The night was a magical blur as they sang at the top of their lungs and danced together to some of their favourite songs, and when the two of them got back into the car, Trina pulled her shoes off her feet, wincing at the pain.

Mendel made a face and told her to wait a moment, getting out of the car and going into the trunk, digging for a moment with the flashlight on his phone until he found what he was looking for. The flipflops that she’d left in his trunk after their beach day at the end of last summer.

He got back into the car and gently pulled his best friend’s purse and feet towards him, wiping the parts where her feet were raw with the antiseptic wipes before placing bandaids on them. When he was done, he slipped the flipflops back onto her feet and returned her purse to her, dropping her heels into the back seat.

“You’re going to need to wipe the blood off those shoes, Trina,” he said, turning on the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

Trina groaned. “I know. It was so much fun though!” she exclaimed, her smile still on her face, despite the fact that she was in pain.

Mendel smiled and laughed. “Yeah, it really was. What do you say you look up the number for Dominos and order that pizza for us,” he said.

Trina nodded. “I’m not going to want to go down to the lobby if they want to meet us there,” she said.

Mendel patted her thigh gently. “Not to worry, I’ll do that, you’ll just have to trust me with your bank card,” he replied.

“You and I both know that neither of us keeps our bank information secret from the other. Of course I trust you,” she replied. “And I’ll make sure that you leave your wallet, with the card in it, in the room.”

Mendel rolled his eyes. “Fine, I will,” he replied. She knew he had a bad habit of taking her card to pay for something and then using his own.

She found the number and called for their pizza, not even bothering to ask Mendel what he wanted on it. They were ‘boring’ and only got cheese and spinach on their pizza, and so that’s what she ordered for them. She bought a large, knowing that the two of them could demolish it.

When she hung up, she looked at Mendel. “They didn’t have apple juice, we’ll have to swing by somewhere to get some,” she said.

Mendel nodded. “Okay, yeah, if we stop by a convenience store or something, I’ll run in and get it with your card,” he said.

Trina nodded and found them a convenience store just past the hotel.

Mendel got out of the car and returned minutes later with a two litre bottle of apple juice. Trina’s jaw dropped.

“What? We’ll drink it all. And even if we don’t tonight, we can bring it in the car for tomorrow,” he said.

Trina shrugged and nodded. He was right. They would finish it.

Mendel half carried Trina to the elevator and then to their room, lifting her up onto the bed. He poured out their first glasses of apple juice before her phone rang. The pizza delivery guy was downstairs. She said that her friend would be down in a minute and she passed him her card from her purse, noting that his wallet was still inside.

Mendel returned minutes later with the pizza and he sat down on the bed with the box, opening it up and inhaling deeply. “That’s some good pizza, I can’t wait to have it in my stomach,” he said, taking a slice and biting into it as Trina grabbed for her own.

They both made noises of satisfaction as they devoured the pizza, barely exchanging a word during the process as they did.


	6. She'll Open Up The Door

Once the pizza had been eaten, Mendel helped Trina to the bathroom to brush their teeth before helping her back out into the main room so she could sit on the bed while getting her pajamas on. He took the bathroom this time.

Before leaving the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror and sighed lightly. “Do not roll over and take her into your arms tonight. Things are hard enough for her as it is with this Marvin drama. You can’t let your personal feelings get in the way here, you idiot,” he said before going to open up the bathroom door.

“Hey Trina, are you dressed?” he asked.

“Uh yeah, you can come out now,” she replied.

Mendel walked into the main room, his glasses on his face, and he smiled at his best friend who was already underneath the covers of the bed. He climbed in beside her, keeping a respectable distance, though it still felt slightly awkward. “Hey, um about last night-“ he started.

Trina shook her head. “It’s fine, I don’t mind. It’s not like you woke up and decided that you would start spooning me. Besides, we’re okay cuddling when we’re awake, it shouldn’t be weird just because we were sleeping,” she replied.

Mendel nodded. He had absolutely no desire to stop cuddling with Trina while they were awake, and while he wouldn’t do it on purpose when they were asleep, he wouldn’t hate himself for what his body did while he was asleep.

Trina turned off the light on her side and settled under the covers, setting her alarm for an hour before checkout the next morning. They could get breakfast on the road if they had to.

Mendel plugged his phone in too and turned off the light, the two of them closing their eyes and, for two insomniacs, fell asleep very quickly.

The following morning, Mendel woke up to the sound of Trina’s phone playing _Sparks Fly_ , but unlike the previous morning, he didn’t have Trina’s hair in his face. What he did have was her arms wrapped around him, holding him close to her. Her right hand had settled right by his heart, and he sighed lightly. It felt perfect being held by her. It had always felt that way, but it was better than it had ever been before. And he had never slept better in his life than he had that night. It must have been the way that she held him.

He reached up and rubbed her hand, turning his head slightly. She was still asleep, and she looked so beautiful that he was at loathe to wake her up. He couldn’t even turn in her arms, that’s how tight she was holding him, but he was able to whisper her name and watch her slowly stir.

Trina’s eyes opened and the first thing she saw was Mendel’s eyes meeting hers. She smiled happily before realizing that she was holding him. She let go and sat up, quickly moving to turn off her alarm. “I am so sorry, Mendel. I really am. Wow, that was terrible of me, I can’t believe I was-“

“It’s okay, Trina. I’m not upset with you. I promise. It’s okay. I only woke you up because we have to check out of the hotel in just under an hour, so we might want to wake up and shower,” he said, a smile on his face. “I’ll hop in first and you can start getting your stuff together.”

Trina nodded and Mendel got out of the bed, grabbing his fresh clothes from his duffel bag and going into the bathroom, turning on the shower a moment later.

Trina pulled herself out of bed, wincing every time she moved her legs or feet. She was so sore after the previous night, but that was okay. She decided that she would skip showering now and wait until she got home and could take a long bath, knowing that being in the car for five hours wasn’t going to make her any less sore than she was now.

She changed her clothes and brushed out her hair, throwing it into a messy bun, and started putting all her stuff back into the suitcase. Her makeup bag, hair brush, laptop cord, laptop, phone charger, Friday’s and Saturday’s clothes, her sneakers (since she would be wearing her flipflops home). Her toothbrush was still in the bathroom, but she could grab it once Mendel was out of the shower.

She sat down on the bed and sighed before starting to put Mendel’s stuff into his duffel bag. His laptop and charger, his phone charger, and the socks he had thrown on the floor the previous day. She knew that he hadn’t asked her to, but she didn’t have anything better to do.

When Mendel came out of the bathroom, he pointed at Trina’s t-shirt and nodded. “Hey, nice t-shirt,” he joked.

Trina laughed. “You too, did you go to the concert last night?”

Mendel looked taken aback. “What? There was a Taylor Swift concert last night?” he asked.

Trina laughed again and pointed to his duffel bag. “I threw the stuff that wasn’t already in into the bag,” she said.

Mendel smiled and nodded at her, shoving his balled up pajamas into the bag. “Thanks, Trina, are you not going to shower right now?” he asked.

Trina shook her head. “I’m going to wait until we get home where I can take a nice long bath and not have to worry about standing on my poor feet,” she replied.

Mendel nodded. “Oh, okay. That’s fine. Your toothbrush is still in the bathroom, so we can go brush our teeth then and do a quick sweep of the room and make sure we’re not forgetting anything,” he said, taking his duffel bag and dropping it by the door of the room.

Trina followed him to the bathroom, doing the same with her suitcase.

Once again, the two of them stood side by side, brushing their teeth. They put their toothbrushes into the holders and dropped them into their bags before going over the room. Mendel checked the desk and found the bible that was in every hotel room, showing it to Trina, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if she forgot it. It was a long running joke between the two of them, and this time it was Mendel’s turn to get her with it. Trina rolled her eyes at him and pulled the blankets up on the bed, checking underneath. They hadn’t forgotten anything, so they closed up their bags and left the room, heading down to reception to check out.

When they got out to the car, Mendel unlocked it for Trina so she could get in while he put their bags in the back. He wanted his best friend off her feet as quickly as possible. They pulled out of the lot and agreed to go through a Starbucks drive thru before getting on the highway.

They put Taylor on in the background quietly, and an hour into their drive, Trina had fallen asleep.

Mendel glanced at her briefly, smiling and stopping the music. He didn’t want to wake her until he had to. He ended up not stopping for food, since he wasn’t hungry and he didn’t want to wake Trina up to see if she was. If she was hungry when she woke up, he would stop and get her something. It wasn’t an issue.

Mendel pulled into Trina’s driveway and he stopped the car, leaning over to gently rub her arm, knowing that it would wake her.

Trina stirred and mumbled something incoherent before realizing that she was outside of her house. “We’re home?” she asked.

Mendel nodded, unplugging her phone from the aux cable and handing it to her. “I’m going to help you inside, okay?” he asked.

Trina nodded and Mendel got out of the car, going around to open up the door for Trina. He half-carried her into the house and all the way up to her bedroom before going back out to grab her purse, suitcase, and bloodied shoes, bringing them up to her as well.

He was about to turn and leave when Trina stood up and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, Mendel. You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for,” she said, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek before letting him go.

Mendel smiled at her. “I will text you when I get in. Don’t forget to call Marvin,” he reminded her.

Trina nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be here to pick you up,” he replied, leaving her bedroom and house and getting back into his car.

He drove home in silence, wondering if he would hear from her again that night. He knew she had to call Marvin, and he hoped that whatever happened in that call, she would tell him. If there were problems in the relationship between Marvin and Trina, he knew that they had to be Marvin’s fault. Trina was loyal and wonderful, and anyone who didn’t cherish her had to be in the wrong. There was no other explanation. He knew that if he was blessed with Trina as his girlfriend he would tell her constantly how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. He would take her on dates every week and shower her with flowers and candy and do literally anything it took to make her smile.

He pulled into his driveway and turned off the car, grabbing his duffel bag before going into the house. He went up to his bedroom and dropped his bag on the floor before collapsing on the bed. It would be hard to sleep alone that night, without Trina to hold, and without Trina holding him. Two nights together and he already knew that sleeping without her would be difficult. Did he need anymore proof of his love and devotion to her? Cause he didn’t think it was possible to provide more proof than he already had.

He kicked his shoes off and curled up on the bed, shutting his eyes for a little while.


	7. Stand There Like A Ghost

He woke up to his phone playing _How You Get The Girl_ and he moaned slightly before answering it. He couldn’t let Trina go to voicemail. “Hey, Trina, what’s up?” he asked.

He listened to her sniffling and crying for a moment before she replied to him. “Marvin broke up with me,” she said through her sobs.

Mendel sat up on the bed. “What? Why?” he asked. He didn’t know what else to say. His heart was beating a million miles a minute.

“Oh he asked me not to tell anyone, but there’s no way I can keep a secret from you. He’s gay, and he says that he and I both deserve to be happy, so the only way to do that was to break up with me,” she replied.

Mendel shook his head. “Switch to facetime, Trina,” he said, hitting the button on his phone.

When Trina’s face appeared, he could see that she had been crying. He wanted to hold her close and tell her that everything would be alright, but he couldn’t.

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.

Mendel nodded. “I know. You were so good to him, and now he tells you this. How long has he known?”

Trina shrugged. “I don’t know. He sounded conflicted when he broke up with me, like he’s been thinking about doing it for a while, and now I want to know why now? Why didn’t he break up with me before now?”

Mendel shrugged. “I don’t know. I wish I could tell you, Trina. You deserve closure from this. What he did isn’t right,” he said.

Trina sighed and wiped away a fresh set of tears. “I’m not mad at him for being gay. I just wish that he hadn’t made me worry about the state of our relationship and then just break up with me. I want him to be happy, he’s still my friend, but this just makes it so much harder. I don’t know why now.”

Mendel nodded. He thought he knew why. Of course, he didn’t want to believe that his friend could be this vindictive, but Marvin did know that he and Trina were going to the concert together and sharing a hotel room. Maybe he thought that if he held off until after the concert, he could keep them apart for longer. Or, he thought that Trina would cheat on him and do the breakup herself. “Did he say anything else?” he asked. He had to know.

Trina shook her head. “No. He just said that he was gay and that he was breaking up with me so we could both be happy. Then he said that he knew it would be rough and awkward for a bit, but that he hoped we could still be friends again.”

He looked down at the floor and sighed, shaking his head. “You do deserve to be happy, Trina. You really do,” he said, biting his lip before looking at her again. It was nearly breaking his heart to see his best friend, the girl he was in love with, crying.

Trina smiled through her tears at him. “I can’t be with the person who makes me happy though. Heck, they made me happier than Marvin ever could, and I can’t be with them. I know that he likes someone else. I know that. And I don’t think I can compete with that girl. Mendel…” she trailed off and looked away.

Mendel swallowed lightly. “Trina, if they don’t like you, they’re crazy. I swear on that. You’re the most incredible person I know. You’re smart, beautiful, funny, and any time spent with you is the best time ever,” he said.

Trina looked back at him. “Are you sure? Would you say the same thing if it was you that I liked? Would you say the same thing if I told you that I held you on purpose last night? Would you say the same thing if I told you that I’d liked you for a while now and I just wasn’t brave enough to tell you, so when Marvin asked me out, I said yes because I thought I could get over my feelings for you?”

Mendel froze, unsure of what to say. This couldn’t be real. How could Trina, the girl of his dreams, like him? She was so far out of his league that he could make himself into the most incredible man out there and still not deserve her. She was everything, and he wasn’t anything. Yet that is. He had told himself that he wouldn’t tell her of his feelings until after he was able to provide the world for her, and now- he had to tell her. Almost ten years before he even became a doctor, if all went to plan.

Trina sniffled and nodded. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, hanging up the call, leaving Mendel to his stunned silence.

Mendel shook his head at the screen of his phone, but Trina wasn’t there anymore. He couldn’t believe it. Had she taken his stunned silence for a lack of feeling on his behalf? He couldn’t let her believe that she wasn’t loved when he was the person who loved her more than anything else in this whole world.

He jumped off his bed, putting his shoes on and barreling downstairs so fast he nearly fell. He grabbed his keys from the hook and rushed out the door, getting in his car and driving back to Trina’s.

He flew out of the car and rang the doorbell in quick succession until Trina’s father answered the door. “Mendel?” he asked, confusion evident on his face. “Is something the matter?”

Mendel shrugged and nodded, unsure of himself. “I have to talk to Trina, it’s really important,” he said.

Trina’s dad shrugged and stood aside. He was somewhat used to Mendel’s chaotic nature, and he wasn’t about to withhold access to his daughter when he knew that Mendel was likely the only one who get her to stop crying. He had made it known to his wife several times that if Mendel asked his permission to date Trina, he would give it in a heartbeat. The boy who rushed over here to make his daughter feel better was a better choice than the boy who seemed to put limited thought into the relationship he was in.

Mendel hurried up the stairs before Trina’s dad noticed that Mendel’s car door was still open. He shook his head and went out to the young man’s car, turning off the engine and removing the key before shutting and locking the door and going back inside.

Mendel knocked on Trina’s door and only heard a heartbroken moan in response. He cracked open the door and winced. He could feel her pain from there. “Hey, Trina,” he said, his voice low.

Trina lifted her head from her pillow and looked at him, confused. She was in a much worse state than she had been when they were facetiming. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her lip quivering.


	8. And That's How It Works

Mendel froze in place before snapping himself out of it and entering Trina’s room.

Trina sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, clearly bracing for more pain.

Mendel’s heart nearly broke at the thought that he had hurt his best friend. He went to her bed and sat down. “I’m so sorry. I froze up. I never thought I would hear you telling me those things, and I couldn’t believe that you were talking about me,” he explained.

Trina released her hug on her knees, but kept them close to her chest. “What do you mean? Are you upset with me?”

Mendel shook his head and kicked off his shoes before moving to sit cross-legged on her bed. “No, I could never be upset with you. I- I have feelings for you too, Trina. I just couldn’t believe that you liked me back and it was shocking to me. I told myself that I couldn’t tell you until I knew that I could give you everything you deserve, and then you tell me years and years before I’ve made anything of myself and I couldn’t believe it. I want to give you so much, and I can’t do that yet. I don’t want to disappoint you and drive you to leave me. Losing you as a friend would break my heart, but losing you as a friend and a lover- Trina, that would end me,” he whispered.

Trina tilted her head to the side. “You like me too?” she asked.

Mendel smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve liked you for at least a couple years now. Is that so surprising to you?” he asked.

Trina nodded. “A bit, yeah. You’re so handsome and sweet and I’m just… me,” she replied.

“And you is a heck of a lot of awesome,” he replied.

Trina wiped away her tears, looking at him with a small smile. “Can I be your girlfriend?” she asked, her voice small.

Mendel’s smile grew and he nodded. “Just give me one moment. I gotta check with your dad first. I’m still scared of him.”

Trina laughed lightly and smacked the back of his arm. “Go on, go ask him,” she said.

Mendel got off the bed and went back downstairs, finding Trina’s father in the living room.

“Here, catch,” her dad said, tossing Mendel’s keys to him.

Mendel caught them and looked down, confused. “Did you want me to leave?” he asked.

Trina’s dad shook his head. “You were in such a rush you left the door of your car open, and the car was still running,” he said. “I turned it off, took the key out and locked the car. You’re welcome.”

Mendel nodded. “Thank you very much, I was preoccupied with-“

“The fact that Trina was crying, I understand,” he replied.

Mendel nodded again. “So, about that. Um, I got her to stop crying. Uh, on that note, would you be okay with me being her boyfriend?” he asked, bracing himself for the scariest two letter word he could think of in this scenario.

Trina’s dad nodded. “Yeah, you can date my daughter,” he replied.

Mendel’s eyes widened. “Wh- really? You’re letting me date Trina?”

Trina’s dad nodded again. “You’re better to her than Marvin was. You’ve shown that time and time again,” he said.

Mendel smiled. “Thank you so much. I gotta go tell her,” he said, hurrying back up the stairs to Trina’s room, immediately getting ambushed by her pulling him into her arms.

Trina pressed her lips to his gently before pulling back. “Hey boyfriend,” she whispered. “I eavesdropped on you and my dad.”

Mendel wrapped his arms around her. “I’m glad you did, girlfriend,” he replied, pressing his lips to hers for longer this time.

He may never have the answer to know if this was the truth or not, but he silently thanked Taylor Swift for helping him finally get with Trina. It was a dream come true.


End file.
